The World of Warcraft: Dragonflight pre-patch has begun, and it has brought with it the hotly anticipated talent revamp. This new system brings the talent trees of old back into the MMO, but they have been made a bit more advanced. Each class has two different trees, and every level feels like it matters. While it may still need a bit of tweaking to fully balance it, this new talent tree may be one of the most intriguing new addition to the game.
Before World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, players had a much simpler talent system that they used. This talent system replaced the talent trees of old during Mists of Pandaria, and the game never looked back. It was far more streamlined and accessible, but many players clamored for a return to the basics. That was partly what made World of Warcraft Classic so appealing, and one of the reasons that Dragonflight is so anticipated by the community. These new talent trees put a modern spin on the early days of World of Warcraft, and so far they have done a pretty good job of giving players a reason to level up new characters again.
The Old World of Warcraft Talent System Explained
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria introduced the talent system that the game has been using since in an effort to streamline and simplify the game. Blizzard had been adding to the talent system with the introduction of specializations in Cataclysm and various other tweaks, but Mists of Pandaria was the biggest change to the system. The developers chose to completely replace the talent trees that players had been using, and it replaced them with a system that drastically shook up the leveling experience.
This new talent system was presented as a series of tiers with three talents in each. Mists of Pandaria increased the level cap to 90, and every 15 levels players were able to select a talent from each tier. They no longer gained talent points that they would spend on a tree, but instead were given a simple choice during leveling. While this streamlined the process, it also removed the ability for players to really customize their character, and leveling did not feel as rewarding anymore. This system persisted throughout multiple expansions with only small tweaks and the addition of a tier in Warlords of Draenor.
The Dragonflight Talent System Explained
One of the biggest features of Dragonflight is the brand-new talent trees that were introduced with the pre-patch. These talent trees replace the Mists of Pandaria talent system, and they feel like a modern version of the trees from 2004. There are far more options here, and players feel like they have greater control over their character again. It still needs a bit of tweaking to really make it shine, but the majority of the fan base is really enjoying this new direction.
Now, players are presented with two different talent trees that they can plunge talent points into. One tree represents their chosen class while the other one represents their specialization. Players are given a talent point every single time that they level up, and these points alternate between the trees each level. They can also change their skills on a whim, and they can save talent builds for a later date. On top of that, players can also share WoW builds with other players so that they can experience new combinations.
Dragonflight's talent trees make leveling feel rewarding again, and they have given players far more customizability over their characters. While it will take some getting used to since the previous talent system has been in the game since 2012, it is a very welcome change. Time will tell if these talent trees are here to stay, but for now it feels like a breath of fresh air and a return to form for the game.
World of Wacraft: Dragonflight launches on November 28 on PC.